Schoolyard Sugaring

A Maple Syrup Contest

New York Agriculture in the Classroom, in partnership with the New York State Maple Foundation, presents the first of its kind maple syrup contest for classrooms across the state. Students will experience the process of collecting sap, learn the steps to boiling the sap into maple syrup, and submit their product for judging against other schools.

Eligibility

Pre-K through 12th grade classes in New York State, in their respective divisions. Multiple classrooms from the same school are eligible. FFA chapters, home school groups, and private schools are invited to participate.

Divisions

Elementary School, Middle School, & High School

Contest Information

Making Maple Syrup

Review the Contest Procedures and the judging rubric to learn more about the contest and the criteria for scoring the syrup.

Maple Starter Kits will again be available! The first 30 classrooms to request this resource will receive a free starter kit with a value of $120. Teachers who received a kit previously will not be eligible for a full kit, but can request 10 new sap collection bags.

This kit will include:

• 10 Blue Sap Bags
• 10 Galvanized Sap Bag Holders
• 10 7/16" Hookless Aluminum Spouts
• 1 7/16" Titanium Tapping Bit
• 1 Syrup Hydrometer
• 1 Stainless Steel Hydrometer Test Cup

This will provide all the essential items you will need to tap trees and collect sap this year, and many years to come.

Contest Registration

• How to submit your entry

Prize

New York Agriculture in the Classroom and the NYS Maple Foundation will provide the following prizes in each division:

• 1st Place - $250
• 2nd Place - $100
• 3rd Place - $50

Photography Contest

The photography contest will be accepting submissions from individual students and educators of their Schoolyard Sugaring experience. Each student is eligible to submit up to five images.

Images will be evaluated from each grade level division. The winning image from each division will earn the photographer a plaque and $50.

Important Dates

• Registration: February 17, 2023
• Maple Syrup and Photography Submissions Due: May 10, 2023

Lesson Connections

Teachers will be provided lessons and an engaging classroom book to pair with the contest. The materials will be grade-level appropriate.

• Elementary
• Middle School
• High School

Basic Maple Information

The links below will provide you with some basic knowledge about the science behind syrup production, and methods for boiling sap to syrup.

• Basic Information of Syrup Production, Syrup Coloring, Taste
• Biology of Maple Sap Flow 
• The Chemistry of Maple Syrup
• About Maple Syrup
• Home Syrup Production I
• Home Syrup Production II
• Make Your Own Maple Syrup from the MA Maple Producers Association
• Cornell University's Maple Specialist, Stephen Childs, explains the process of using reverse osmosis
• Stephen Childs, New York State Maple Specialist, explains working with small reverse osmosis units
• The RO Bucket - A commercially available, small scale, portable reverse osmosis machine made for maple syrup production

Questions

Please direct any questions you have about this contest to Katie Carpenter, kse45@cornell.edu.

• View the 2022 winning schools and photographs
• View the 2021 winning schools and photographs
• View the 2020 winning schools and photographs
• View the 2019 winning schools and photographs
• View the 2018 winning schools and photographs